The Child of a Bloodied Mist
by Miyuusen
Summary: Yuugetsu was a girl in his past life, and really the moment he figured out his new gender was also the moment he found he was the little brother of Suigetsu and Mangetsu, the Hōzuki brothers who have been rumored to be the Second Coming of the Demon Zabuza. Yeah, it kind of sucks to be born into the Bloody Mist village. SI OC. Slight AU. Full Summary Inside. R&R!


The Child of a Bloodied Mist

by Miyuusen

1

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto series or characters. I only own my OC.

Full Summary: Yuugetsu was a girl in his past life, and really the moment he figured out his new gender was also the moment he found he was the little brother of Suigetsu and Mangetsu, the Hōzuki brothers who have been rumored to be the Second Coming of the Demon Zabuza. But really, they're kind of adorable. Still, the Bloody Mist Village is no laughing matter. So when he finds his brothers plan to train him to be one of the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure, he's really not in the chuckling mood.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

"Suigetsu, Suigetsu, come quick! He's moving around!" an excited voice murmured. Foggily, I blinked, wiggling my body as I took in the situation. I hadn't expected this. One second, I had been laying on the floor dying and relatively scared of death, and then the next I was looking through eyes that seemed lacking, as if they hadn't finished developing. That was only the first clue to my predicament.

"Ahh, he's so tiny," a new voice commented and I wiggled again, trying to catch sight of the people who were talking so loudly. I could merely see the ceiling in a vision that was less than satisfying.

"What do you think he's going to be like growing up, Mangetsu?" the second voice asked after the first had gone quiet. Funny, those names sounded so familiar.

"I hope he's not like Mom, ya know? I don't want him to be sick all the time."

"I hope he's not like Dad. He's so angry all the time."

They were using the word 'he' a lot, it seems. But that shouldn't apply to me, I'm a girl after all. Still, I felt something warm touch my skin that I realized was a hand after a moment of pause. It felt as if they were speaking of me, by the way I felt their gazes. Shifting around, I leaned my head into the hand as I hoped to seek comfort. So I'm a baby, I thought to myself mulling over what I thought to be a dream.

The air was heavy, for some reason, and it was a bit moist. I didn't like it.

With the only way to convey my dislike toward my surroundings, I launched myself into a wail.

"Look what you've done, Suigetsu!" a new voice, a female one, interjected in a rushed worried tone. Abruptly, I felt the warm hand slip away and new ones, cold and clammy, replace them. Soon, I was being hoisted up and relaxed against something soft, most likely a chest. Who ever held me began to rock me, in such a soothing way that I immediately felt comforted and... sleepy. I stopped crying.

"It wasn't me Mom! I swear, Mangetsu was the one who touched him!" Suigetsu protested.

"Both of you boys, get outside and train," she ordered, "I have to feed Yuugetsu now."

"Blech, I'm out of here then. Don't want to see that again."

I blinked my eyes, confused. Feed...? Oh. Oh no, I was not okay with this. But I didn't have much a say in the matter when moments later I found myself coaxed into drinking from her breast. My mother's breast.

Blech.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

As a few weeks passed, it became evidently clear that there was something wrong with my health, just like my mother. Odd calling her that, but in this dream I had inherited her weak body and she gave birth to me, so I suppose she's my mother.

Suigetsu and Mangetsu were rather disappointed at the news that I was someone weak. The doctor even went as far as to say that I would never make it past a year. Quite frankly, this upset me. I didn't want to be told that I'm so weak I can't even live properly _in a dream._ So I bared the brunt of my sickness, steeling myself against coughing fits and fevers.

Most of that time passed in a daze, as after a while of being sick, the days blended together. It was supposedly three months later when I was professed healthy. And after that, rarely did I get fevers, albeit the coughing thing stayed.

So as the days passed by, this time in a daze of confusion, I felt myself relaxing into this life, into this dream, even if for brief moments I would wonder where I was and why I would dream of such things. But I was never afraid, ever. Suigetsu and Mangetsu had proved to be loyal care-takers and never did I go without someone checking up on me during the day and through the night.

Still, my eyes were underdeveloped and as I was still but a baby, I wouldn't be able to see clearly until a couple of months passed. And it seems that even if this wasn't real, I could change nothing. I hate waiting.

But I did not wait in boredom, fortunately.

My brothers, how odd calling them that, entertained me as only children could. I had learned that Suigetsu was 6 whereas Mangetsu was 9. I would be the baby in the family forever it seems. But I would be loved. That made sense to me, I should be dreaming of things akin to a loving family. It wasn't like mine in the real world loved me.

Months passed in wait of my eye sight clearing up, and eventually it did. But I didn't like what I was seeing.

Of course, on the day I finally took notice that I could see, I sat up in my crib and saw two boys, young and quick, playing around. They both had white hair, like snow, and were moving so abnormally fast that my freshly developed eyes couldn't follow. Then, as if this were a completely normal occurrence, one of them turned to a liquid, his body's form wavering as he moved through the other boy's body. I gawked.

Nope, nope, nope, this was not happening. Not to me, not to me.

But I could do nothing even as my brain tried to process this new information. I knew these boys, well their names at least. I knew what they were doing with their body as they turned into something relative to water. I knew why the air felt heavy and moist.

I had been reborn into Kirigakure, the Bloody Mist Village. I am in the Naruto-verse. This is no dream.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

Life was somewhat different from that point on. I was quiet, very still too. I couldn't comprehend that I was actually in the Naruto-verse and because of that I spent long amounts of time debating whether I was just in a coma and dreaming all of this. But I couldn't really recall how I had died, only knew there was blood and pain, so I couldn't rule it out nor be certain.

My family was worried about me, I was sure. While my mother tried to comfort me with soft sweet words, my brothers tried to get me to laugh. They both were a bit succesful but I always reverted to that silent behavior as I thought through what I knew for certain. In my past life, how odd saying that, I had learned making lists would help the thought process so I ended up making one.

Number One: I am a boy. My name is Yuugetsu.

I was sure of this fact now that I had seen the evidence present itself while I had been changed. I didn't really care though as even in my past life gender meant nothing to me. Little difference of an X and a Y chromosome, why bother worrying about it? Also, my parents seemed to adore the 'getsu' endings my other brothers had ended up with.

Number Two: My brother's are Suigetsu and Mangetsu Hozuki.

This did not bode well for my well being as I knew from my past life how violent these two boys could get. Surprisingly though, they were rather nice to me as they had been before my revelation. I would even go as far as to say that they would baby me and never harm me.

Number Three: I can remember a series based in this world and my brothers were characters in it.

This meant I knew the future of this world and my brothers played a not-so great part in it.

Number Four: My father is an insanely angry man.

He liked to verbally abuse my brothers and often even me. He treated my mother well enough but when it came to his children, his sons, he expected them to be strong and thus he released his pent up frustrations on us. He even went as far as throwing things so Suigetsu and Mangetsu could liquify in time to not be hit. Dodging was out of the question as it didn't help their training any.

Number Five: I could feel something warm and living in the air as well as in myself.

Chakra, I assume, and this was a grounding fact that I was in the Naruto world. But I was always too afraid to touch it, never knowing the consequences of my actions. So I did nothing with it and this brought an obvious frown to my families face when they found they didn't have a prodigy.

I didn't know how to feel about any of this so as time went on, I slowly decided to stop thinking so much and wait till I was old enough to concern myself with the world. I hate waiting.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

"You know what our dream is?" Suigetsu was asking me and I shook my head because they had never told me themselves.

"We want to become one of the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure," Mangetsu had announced, "And we were thinking, now that your two and all, that we can start training you to become one with us."

"Seven Swordsmen?" I prompted, blanching. I knew what they were but with my body I would never have any hope to become one.

"They're people who are suuuper good at kenjutsu, like samurai," Suigetsu explained, "They are known as the strongest of the strong in Kirigakure. We were thinking that the three of us could be of the seven when we get strong enough."

I paled but kept my eyes down, not wanting to disappoint them with the fact that I would never be able to do it.

"Just because you get sick, Yuu-kun, doesn't mean anything. Mom became one of the best kunoichi that Kirigakure has ever seen and look at her," Mangetsu attempted to motivated. It was true. The only reason my father had married my mother had been because she was defiant of her shortcomings and instead excelled at her work as an assassin.

"We have to start training you with our clan's technique though, right now, so you aren't far behind us," Suigetsu informed me bluntly, "We'll be teaching you how to use chakra earlier than the other kids do, and with time you can perform Suika no Jutsu, like what we do when training, you know, changing into liquid."

They were somewhat asking me if I wanted to do this but I knew, without a doubt, that I would have to if I wanted to keep my brothers close. But I was afraid, I didn't want to see Mangetsu die, nor did I want Suigetsu to leave Kirigakure for the swords.

After a brief moment, I nodded, albeit with a sad feeling.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

"See, chakra is kind of like your connection to the land," Mangetsu explained, "It's you becoming one with an element. In our families case, it's with water."

"Why only our family?" I asked innocently.

"Well, it's a kekkei genkai, meaning that it's impossible for others without our families blood to perform. Our kekkei genkai is the reason for our clan to be so prosperous. Did you know the second Mizukage was part of the Hozuki clan? He led Kirigakure to greatness, and it continued on even with the third."

He said nothing about the fourth, Yagura. I knew, despite his silence on the matter, that he was still in power. Meaning that if I were to go into schooling now, I would be faced with circumstances that would make or break me. At the moment, it would be the latter. Briefly, I wondered when the fifth would be in power, the one who would end that unjust practice of pitting child against child. I hoped it was before I would be forced to enter school.

"So, how do I use chakra?" I asked, not knowing the answer this time around. I could feel it in the air and thrumming under my skin but this didn't mean I knew what to do with it.

Instead of Mangetsu answering, Suigetsu spoke up, grinning, "It's really easy, just find it within yourself and then start playing with it, ya know, like stretching it out and stuff."

I nodded, pretending to understand what he was even saying. Finding it was the easy part, I suppose it's because I didn't have it in my past life and the foreign feeling helped me target it easier. However, I didn't really understand how to start "playing" with it. Do I... grab it? Suddenly, I felt the chakra in my left arm throb as I had attempted to touch it. It didn't hurt though, just pulsated as if it were a seperate being than I. Curious, I continued to grab at in my mind's eye, only making the chakra pulse more. It seemed... happy?

Well, I suppose it would reflect the user's emotions and I was pretty dang happy at the moment.

"Look at his arm, Mangetsu!" Suigetsu whispered excitedly, "He's using Suika no Jutsu like he was born to do it."

I peeked at it myself, looking over to see that my arm was the one pulsating, the skin itself rippling like water. I gaped, "What?" Abruptly, my arm stopped pulsing just as I let go of the chakra. I was surprised as how exhausted that made me but really, I'm only in a child's body.

"See, that's how our kekkei genkai works, little brother."

"I was 7 months old when I first learned how to do it," Mangetsu teased, "We were worried that you had been born without it."

"Well I was 6 months," Suigetsu said, glaring over at his older brother playfully.

"You were 9 months, don't try to lie to Yuugetsu."

"Well, yeah, whatever you idiots!" Suigetsu muttered darkly as he flushed bright red in embarrassment.

I laughed, and he sent his glare my way, "You guys are so silly! I'll get better with time, don't worry."

"You'd better, 'cause when you master Suika no Jutsu, it's on to learning how to use a sword."

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

When I turned three, on came a whole new set of troubles. Despite my body's age, I was regarded as an adult, much more so than Suigetsu at least. I didn't want this but it wasn't like I ever took the time to hide my true nature. I openly spoke like the 26 year old woman that I had been, and as such, I was the type to speak up during clan meetings. Before I had been born, Mangetsu had been the one who would be the next clan head but before long, my father began to "train" me to be a second choice if he ever failed or worse, died.

His "training" meant only one thing. I would be verbally assaulted and to keep it from getting psychical, I would have to use my kekkei genkai. This, unknowingly to him, sped up my mastering of the Suika no Jutsu, and much to my dislike, allowing my brothers the excuse to start teaching me kenjutsu. And oh how similar that training was to hell.

At first it was simple practicing stance, and then it got to the point that to test whether my stance was good, they'd launch themselves at me with gusto and pretty much knock me down onto my butt. This happened 9 times out of 10 as I tried to learn the correct stance. In the end, out of pure _effort_, I ended up lowering that ratio to 6 out of 10. It was a dramatic improvement.

As I continued to learn, it became clearly evident that people were planning to overthrow the fourth Mizukage Yagura. This meant nothing to me, at least not until it was announced that Kirigakure was without a Mizukage. Then I would care because I would like to meet Mei Terumi.

Then, in August, Mangetsu announced that he would be going on solo missions from that point on, thanks to his prodigy status. I shudder to think what he would be doing on his missions now that he would be teamless. I really hoped he didn't get hurt. It was a pointless worry at the moment, thanks to the fact that Mangetsu was not one of the Seven Swordsmen, and most likely wouldn't be until he was 17 and I was 8. It was a guess, of course, as I didn't really know the age of when he managed to fulfill his dreams.

But despite my worry, he completed his missions with little complaining and in the end, became an amazing Jonin by the time he turned 14 and I turned 5. With how much time was being taken up by missions and other matters, it left me and Suigetsu by ourselves training to catch up. Suigetsu was absolutely enthralled with our big brother and due to that, he never got discouraged when his missions went bad or when I was being inept at kenjutsu. No, he would promise to do better at his next mission and would patiently explain how to properly stab an opponent.

However, when I turned 6, Suigetsu 9 and Mangetsu 15, things changed. Drastically.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

"What do you mean our family is going to kill the Mizukage?" I demanded to know of my father, who sat across from me with a slight glare on his face, "He's the _Mizukage_, Otou-san! He's the strongest ninja in Kirigakure, not to mention that he's a Jinchuriki!" I couldn't remember the last time I had raised my voice like this, too long ago to remember fully.

"We are aware of Yagura's standing and his monster status. Which is the exact reason _why_ one of us will be the one to take down Yagura. We don't have many weaknesses, Yuugestu and you'll be good to remember that."

"Lightning is our weakness. Otou-san, _lightning_. Yagura can easily have a jutsu with that element and then where will we be? A member of our already dwindling clan down."

My father's slight glare turned to a complete one, "Yuugetsu, you useless _bug_, you don't understand _why_ we have to take him down. And it's clear you have to learn. You start school in a week."

I paled, "No..."

"Yes, now get out of my sight, you disgusting waste of space."

I flinched but obeyed as I left my father's room and fled to look for Suigetsu or Mangetsu. I finally recalled that both were away on a mission. It was only then that I felt myself wanting to cry in frustration.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

Neither were home by the time a week had passed me by and I was forced to enter school. My two stones, the ones who kept be balanced and calm, were not there when I needed them but it was fine, I told myself. If my classmates saw that I needed a guide to find the school than it was clear that I was weak.

When I began walking, dressed in a simple black outfit that was made to endure harsh circumstances, I found myself coughing. It wasn't as bad as my other ones but I didn't want my classmates to see it happening. So when I was in sight of the school, I allowed myself to duck into some shrubbery to allow myself to collect my uneasy breathing.

It was then that I heard it; the sounds of fighting.

"You're a worthless boy, Monoki!" A low pitched voice muttered out loudly, and it was followed after the loud sound of something hard hitting something else. Alarmed, I felt fear go up my throat, silencing any of my coughs. Building up courage, however, I found myself leaning toward the sounds, peering through the bushes branch to see three kids, looking to be older than I, and one who looked to be the same age as me. The bigger kids surrounded the littler one like prey.

"No... no I'm not," the surrounded one whispered, even as he was beaten. The three older boys had on the most sadistic grins I'd ever seen rivaling Suigetsu's when he would purposely beat me at kenjutsu just to bully me. The fear was gone now, however, replaced with the intense disgust and hate for those who pick on others.

Realizing that I could do something, that I could help this boy, I used my Suika no Jutsu, allowing my chakra to pulsate and eventually turn my body to liquid. I slithered my way on the grass, all the way up to where the drama was taking place. Then, I changed my form, turning to that of a bodybuilder version of myself, growing to the point where I felt my chakra would burst.

I tapped on the shoulder of the one who looked to be the leader of the group.

"Ahem, I believe that boy is _mine_ to bother, you idiots," I muttered, attempting to make my voice sound deeper. Of course being at the age I was, I couldn't make it sound as intimidating as I wanted but despite that, the moment he turned around, I knew he would feel the need to wet his pants.

"Who are you!?" he asked, attempting bravado. I held out a hand, being the polite person that I am.

"I'm Yuugetsu Hozuki, pleasure to meet you when you're stealing my punching bag. Oh, or is that you want to be it?"

The three boys visibly paled, "You're related to the Second Coming of the Demon?"

"More than that," I informed them with fake cheer, "I'm their little brother."

They were away from my presence then, fleeing as they yelled back apologies to the "Great Yuugetsu-sama." Really, how _my_ two brothers, the sweetest things ever, were able to get that god awful nickname was beyond me. Note the sarcasm.

Shrugging it off, I turned to Monoki, the name I had heard earlier. He was wrapping himself up into a ball, obviously terrified of me and my words of earlier. Feeling somewhat guilty, I shifted my form again, this time back to my normal self and I tapped his shoulder.

"We can't become friends if you don't open up, Monoki-san." He remained stubbornly closed, though I caught sight of a twitch of his fingers as sign that I caught him off guard. Rudely, I decided this was a nice approach, I laid myself onto his ball like self, fixing myself to stare up at the sky.

"Say... what's the punishment for being late?" I asked, mostly to myself. It, however, had the desired effect as Monoki unwrapped himself and pushed me off of him as gently as he could. When I got off of him myself when his actions proved fruitless, he looked to be surprised, probably at how heavy I am in comparison to my height.

"The punishment is getting whipped," he answered quickly before making a hasty escape. I blinked in surprise. A whip...? Without a word, I hurried to school.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

"Now, here is something you need to understand Hozuki-san, you are by no means special and as such will be treated the exact same way."

I nodded, having not even expected my family name to carry my through this one.

"Our school is of the best in Kirigakure and as such, there is a rule of conduct here to keep is as such. The rule? Do not be beaten. As there are no age separations, I suggest you stay with your age group or of that below you to ensure your safety."

Blinking, I _was_ shocked at this. If there was no separation of ages for the classes, that meant the younger generation would have a tougher time learning the things they would need to. The teachers would most likely teach whatever suited them that day, as there didn't seem to be a demand for the teacher to teach as long as there wasn't another year like Zabuza, when during his graduation test he murdered everyone.

"This is... quite barbaric, isn't it?" I murmured while I looked at the headteacher, a mean looking woman with graying hairs and glasses. She looked to be bewildered at my words.

"Your brothers said very different things when they entered."

I nodded, knowing my brothers well enough to guess what they said: _"This is going to be quite fun, isn't it?"_

"I'm very different from them," I informed her looking away and feigning the look of someone meek and powerless. My brothers used to regale me with tales of this woman, "Karuki-san", and how she used to purposely set them up for failure thanks to the rude way the had regarded her. I hoped she would see me as weak and thus leave me alone, thinking I would die off sooner or later. It would make school easier, to say the least.

However, she narrowed her eyes, "I'm keeping an eye on you, Hozuki-san."

I inwardly sighed, oh well for that plan.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

"This is Yuugetsu Hozuki, transferring in late," Karuki introduced me with a scowl as we faced a sea of faces in one of the major halls.

I politely bowed to them before raising my voice to say, "I'm looking for a Monoki-san? Anyone know him? He's about this tall with black hair and green ey-."

"Here he is!" Someone shouted and slowly but surely the boy from earlier stood in front of me after he was shoved to the crowd. He was scowling but I grinned at him. I threw an arm around him and said to my classmates, "Anyone who messes with him, will answer to me, you got that?" I smiled at them cheerfully, reinforcing the idea that I would be just like my brothers before.

They chorused a "yes" before I dragged Monoki along with me to stand with the others, them spreading apart like the red sea. Well, whaddya know? It kind of feels good to be feared instead of fearful.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

"You're insane," Monoki exclaimed later when we were alone after the school day had passed, "Why would you want to be friends with me?" he asked after I said nothing.

I thought about it, "Well, I suppose it's because you're strong." He looked to me surprised, forcing me to blush, "When they kept on telling you that you were worthless, you told them that you weren't even as they hurt you. So you're strong."

It was his turn to blush, his face going into a bright flush, "Oh."

I shrugged, "Say, do you want to go to my house? I don't think my brothers will be home so they won't hurt you."

He hesitated and then after a period of thought, he nodded, "I guess if they won't be there."

I could feel my body light up with something akin to joy. In my whole life here, I had never had a friend. The clan kids, meaning my cousins and such, were rather mean to me and the older clan members were never more than acquaintances. Monoki was my first friend. In my happiness, I grabbed his hand and dragged him to my home.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

Monoki sat on my bedroom floor while I rummaged around in my "toy" bin, basically filled with weapons I'd been gifted with on my birthdays and holidays. I had been trying to find something we could play with together without resorting to the games I usually played with my mother. Games with my brothers were much too violent for someone like Monoki. Well I thought so until he murmured: "How about we just train together?"

After having found nothing in my bin, I nodded and we had left to my family's private training grounds. There, Monoki looked happier surprising me in his eagerness to train.

"So what are your dreams?" I asked, wanting to get to know this friend of such a surprising nature. He looked at me thoughtful, took in my motions as I collected kunai and shuriken, before speaking.

"I'm going to be the Mizukage and save us from the fourth," he murmured and then blushed. I blinked, and then slowly I grinned.

"Ne," I told him excitedly, "Do you think that I could be your right hand man?"

He studied me, as if waiting for me to make fun of him. I was entirely serious though and when he saw this, his suspicious expression turned to that of a grin and he said, "You're going to hafta be stronger than anyone, except me!"

I nodded, "I'll train super hard but Monoki-san, but you have to train harder if you want to beat me."

I suppose that's when my brothers came home. Immediately, having sensed their chakra, I dropped the kunai and shuriken save for three each and slid my way in front of Monoki. They wouldn't hurt him... I think. They would realize he's my friend... I think.

After a few minutes of Monoki asking what was going on and me being very stiff, my brothers exited the sliding door of the kenjutsu practice room and entered the training grounds. Both looked furious, but it wasn't at me... I think.

"There you are, Yuugetsu! We're so sorry we weren't there for you this morning! We barely just got back from our mission and Otou-san told us that you had gone to school, that bastard." Suigetsu had said this just as his eyes rested on Monoki, who looked nervously between my brothers.

"He's my friend," I clarified just when Mangetsu opened his mouth to ask. I debated whether I should forgive them just to get them off my back but then I thought about how scared I was of school and decided I could make them suffer a little, "Man-nii-chan, Sui-nii-chan, I'll talk to you later, for now I'm training with my friend." My tone was ice-cold. Suigetsu paled while Mangetsu looked hesitant but after a brief moment of pause, they nodded and headed back into the kenjustu practice room.

I turned to Monoki, who stared at me with surprise, "Well, let's get start-."

"Wait, we're friends?" He asked and I frowned. Had that not been clear when I asked him to my home? I guess not.

"Yes... unless that's not what you want," I looked at him earnestly, unsure of myself.

"Yes, okay, we're friends."

Immediately I felt my cheeks flush with happiness as my head buzzed with glee, "Awesome," I breathed.

Yeah, having friends it totally awesome.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

"So what's school like?" I asked after our gruelling training session had ended with us both exhausted and breathless, "Like, I've only been there a day so..."

"Only the best of the best survive there."

"Oh."

"Well, to advance to the next year is to survive the end of the year."

"End of the year...?"

"At the end of the year," Monoki began, his eyes dark, "Two shinobi of the same age with be pitted against each other in a death match. It's too, ya know, weed out the weak from the strong."

"Wait, so this means you and I could go against each other?" my eyes went wide as I paled at the thought, "If that happens, I'd just lose, okay? If you're going to be the Mizukage then you have to live, Monoki-san."

His own eyes went wide and his jaw threatened to go slack, "You'd die for me?"

Without hesitation, I nodded, "I promise, Monoki-san. It's for the good of the village, isn't it?" _Besides,_ I didn't voice_, I've already lived once._

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

A week later, I found myself about to pass out from the news I received at the dinner table.

"I've become one of the Seven Swordsmen!" Mangetsu shouted as he slammed through the sliding door, breaking it in his daze. This was totally unlike the calm brother I'd come to love. Immediately I dropped my chopsticks the moment I understood what he was shouting.

"No way!" Suigetsu shouted back, standing up from his place at the dinner table.

In his way of answer, he pulled out a wrapped sword that was so beautiful as he slowly unwrapped it, it made my breath catch. It looked to be the sharpest thing I'd ever laid eyes on, and had carved in decorations of vines and flowers. It was also _huge_, and even Mangetsu looked to have trouble holding it.

"I'm so proud of you, dear," My mother said, smiling broadly, "This is truly the best news we've had in a while."

That was when I saw my father's unmistakable look of "I have a plan forming" which solidified when he spoke, "So you can do it now, can't you? The thing the elder's have talked about with you."

Mangetsu's face brightened, "Yes, I should be able to."

Why did I have the sinking feeling that he meant the job to kill the Mizukage?

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

"Yuugetsu-san," Monoki spoke up on our way to school. I had taken to waking up extra early to be at his house by the time he was ready to leave. Perhaps it was too much sometimes but I honestly liked being around him and as such I wanted as much time with him as possible.

"Yes?"

"Not to close, if were seen entering together then by the end of the year we _will_ be forced to kill each other."

I felt the strong desire to pout but in the end I moved slightly away from him, "What if we stop pretending to be enemies or that we don't exist to each other. How about your my slave."

"What! No way, then you'd be _my_ slave."

"Who is everyone afraid of at school?" I asked, "Who do you think is most believable? Besides, I already claimed you as mine."

He groaned and when I looked over at him, he was hiding a grin with a wince, "Don't remind me! Fine, I guess we could tr-."

I slipped my school bag, filled with scrolls and weapons, off of my shoulder and onto his, "Slave, I order you to carry my things for the rest of the year!" Then, before he could complain, I ran off.

"I'm going to get you!" he roared and I laughed, a taunting chuckle.

"Come and get me then!"

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

"What's wrong?" Monoki whispered behind one of his scrolls as the teacher droned on about whatever he decided to teach that day. I looked at Monoki, surprised, but carefully schooled my features. How could he tell so easily?

"Um... clan stuff, I can't really talk about it," I settled on saying after a brief period of pause. I glanced over my own scroll to see him glaring at me. I nearly jumped, startled once again.

"Then how am I supposed to help you?" he asked, alarming me for the third time.

"H-help...?"

"_Duh_, we're friends, of course I'd help you."

Blushing at my stupidity, I stammered out, "I suppose I could tell you... but in private."

He nodded and then went back to paying attention to the idiotic teacher.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

Sometimes, for a small amount of time, I would forget about my past life. I mean, it was _so_ easy to, what with my busy day to day life and my distracting brothers. I would forget the useless woman I had been at 26 and would instead focus on my life as a young boy. I could hardly remember _all_ of my memories of that life, I only knew the things I would need, basically the Naruto plot line. I didn't bother myself with small little facts like whether I owned a dog or cat or if I was dating anybody. All I knew was Naruto.

So at the times when I would forget Naruto, those were my "dark" times, times when I couldn't bring myself to rise from bed or to eat. Those days, thankfully, were not the norm for me but it seems I was in one such day, without the memory loss, the time I finally found a private place to tell Monoki what was going on with the clan.

A week had passed from the time Monoki had told me he'd help but really, that couldn't motivate me to get out of my bed. Instead, I didn't rely on motivation, I relied on orders I gave myself. 'Get up.' 'Eat.' 'Get dressed.' 'Walk to his house.' 'Ring the bell.'

So that's how I found myself on a weekend, standing in front of Monoki's home and ordering myself to stay and not run away. Monoki came out of his house after a brief moment of waiting. He had a grin on his face that slipped away the moment he saw my expression. Emotionless, I assume, the type that was the norm for me as a child before I became comfortable in this body of mine.

Speak, Yuugetsu. "Let's go into the trees for some breath of fresh air, Monoki-kun," I said with a fake cheerful smile, the kind I was best at. He nodded, not smiling. Walk, Yuugetsu. I found myself walking the distance from Monoki's house and to the forest in silence. What I had said earlier was quite laughable; Kirigakure, the Hidden Mist village, was a place where a "breath of fresh air" was scarce. This whole land was covered in mist and as such, the air was always moist and unfresh.

After a couple of minutes spent walking, I stopped and commanded myself to stop. I turned and blurted it out, "My father is making my brother attempt the murder of the Mizukage."

This made Monoki blink, his expression changing to shock, "I..._what_?"

"The idiots think that just because Mangetsu is one of the Seven Swordsmen and a user of the kekkei genkai but the fourth _is_ the Mizukage for a reason. He's the strongest shinobi of Kirigakure," I informed him of the fact. _Not to mention he's being controlled by Obito Uchiha_, I thought to myself.

"But isn't this a good thing? If your brother succeeds then life for everyone would be better, wouldn't it?"

"But what if he doesn't?" I ask, tears pricking at my eyes as I was filled with the sudden emotion to _destroy_ something in my frustration at the world, "What if the fourth kills him!? What if he dies and then because of that my family is persecuted as traitors and sent to be killed? Or worse yet, _slaves_ for Kirigakure."

Monoki frowned at me, surprising me with his next words, "Then what happens, happens. This village needs a savior, Yuugetsu-kun. Have you not seen the kids starving on the streets or are you completely blind? Would you rather stay happy, ignoring the pains and sorrows of everyone around you, or allow this village to be _healthy_ for once? Would you be willing to sacrifice everything in you to save this village? Because that's what you need to do if you ever want to be my right hand man."

A slap in the face. That is what Monoki's words felt like against my cheek. Eyes wide, I couldn't help the feral snarl that tore free as I growled out, "Some _friend_ you are. I thought you said you'd help!"

With that said, I left him.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

That week, I realized, was the end of the year was approaching. It meant several things.

My family had picked out the date of when Mangetsu would perform the assasination. It would be the day of my fight, the death match. That was a mere month away and as it stood, I didn't feel like apologizing to Monoki for my words. And it seems he didn't either. As the days wore on, each day bringing more stress than the last, we ignored each other. Gone were the times where we'd hang out after school training and eating food. Instead, I walked home alone and ate my snacks with no one else. I also plotted on how to keep Mangetsu away from that specific mission with little help.

But it was okay, I was fine. As long as I had my family, I would be fine. Only, it wasn't till my mother sent me out for groceries that I saw what it was that Monoki was talking about when he said that the people of this village needed a savior.

As I walked to the general store to purchase some eggs, I saw a little girl, barely a toddler, who wore a rather faded blue dress that looked to be little more than a compilation of rages with how many holes had needed to be patched over. She ran, chasing a ball and that's when I noticed that she was barely a little more than skin and bones. A boy, most likely her brother, chased after her, revealing his own similar situation of hunger.

My eyes went wide and I thought of all my other trips to the store. Yes, I had always seen something like this but never had I paid any heed to it.

Heart feeling heavy, I fought back the tears of guilt I wanted to shed and instead walked into the store. For a brief moment I considered just ignoring them, as I always had done, but I quickly squelched that thought out as I made my purchases; a carton of eggs and three ready-made sandwiches along with a gallon of bottled lemon tea.

I left the store, and followed the children with my bag in hand. I didn't know how I was going to approach them but in the end I was saved the trouble of doing anything when the ball rolled it's way up to me, stopping at my feet. Stooping down, I grabbed the it and studied it's appearance. It looked to be a very old and worn ball, something that shouldn't have lasted as long as it had.

"This yours?" I asked softly as I looked into the hollowed eyes of the children. They looked down, as if ashamed or like I would hurt them. It could be both. I gave them a smile, a real one, as I knelt to their height. Even if I was only six, I was pretty tall for my age and towered over them.

"Today's a nice day out, isn't it?" And it was, at least in Kirigakure terms. The mist was only half as bad as usual, "Would you like to eat something with me? I may have bought too many sandwiches and I couldn't possibly eat it by myself." They stayed silent but were looking up at me in surprise, as if they had never heard these words spoken, "You'd be doing me a favor, really. I'm Yuusei," I easily lied, not wanting to alarm them if they knew my real name.

"I'm Maka, this i-," The girl had spoken up only to be interrupted by the boy.

"I'm Kei, if we'd be doing you a favor, then of course we'd ea-."

"Then come on, to the park. This is no place to eat with friends."

"F-friends?" Maka asked as the two attempted to keep up with my pace. I slowed down for them and answered her with a grin.

"Well, now that you're doing me a favor and I don't expect repayment, we're friends right?" A moment of pause with nothing said and I continued, "So how old are you guys? I'm six."

"Four," Maka stated.

"Five," Kei replied.

"Siblings? I have two of them myself."

"We're cousins," Maka said and I nodded. After a few more minutes we finally made our way to the one and only park. It was made for the civilians but they were few in numbers considering the sheer amount of ninja Kirigakure goes through each year.

We found a bench to sit at easily enough and even with the mist, you could see the sun shining through. Today was a good day, wasn't it? I reached into my bag and pulled out the three sandwiches. I kept mine, smoked ham, and gave the kids the others. In my rush to get out the door before they vanished, I had somehow managed to choose two turkey. There wasn't much of a choice, now was there?

"So are both of you civilians?"

Kei shrugged while Maka nodded, chewing her food and then after she swallowed, she clarified, "Well next year Kei is going to try to be a shinobi and I'll... well I have another year to decide."

"She'll be a civilian," Kei muttered.

I nodded, suddenly feeling like the meanest person on Earth for having been so closed minded. Other people suffered much more than I and a lot more. I had my clan name to keep myself safe from the other kids but these kids were little more than cannon fodder. Suddenly I was curious.

"Would you like to learn some jutsu's before then?" I asked.

Kei's eye lit up, "What? Really? Who would we learn it from?"

"Me, of course. I may not look it but I know quite a few jutsu's that may help you in the year to come."

Maka gaped, "You're willing to help us? Even if we're stupid and smell?"

"Who told you that?" I immediately knew that those words had not been her own. Anger pulsated into me, threatening to affect my chakra.

"Just some bully who thinks he's better than everyone else," Kei muttered waving it off, "So when do we start learning?"

"I guess tomorrow."

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

So for the next few weeks that's how I spent my time after school. It felt good, giving something to them, something that would help them survive. Maka proved herself very skilled at chakra control while Kei excelled at weaponry. The both of them didn't realize it but they would be a very good team-tag if something like that were ever allowed.

Aside from that, life at home was filled with my anxious worry and my families excitement. They just couldn't _wait_ for the moment when Mangetsu would die, it seems. I couldn't talk sense into any of them. So that's when it got me thinking.

If my brothers death brought on the change of Mizukages, then was it really all that bad of a death? It was a hero's demise and yet I was trying to keep him from it selfishly, even as all signs were leaning toward the fact that I couldn't save him from it. His death may bring in Mei Terumi and above all, it would save children like Maka and Kei.

Now that Mangetsu had become one of the Seven Swordsmen, training with him wasn't the same. He was harder on us, exclaiming that if we couldn't beat him then we really had no chance at beating any of the other Swordsmen. In the practice room he had turned quite sadistic and Suigetsu, admiring our brother for whom he was, followed suit.

Out of the practice room, however, he was the kinder and calmer. He was my big older brother again. Soon, I figured that it was the sword's doing, changing his personality every time Mangetsu held it. But I could never prove this, for Mangetsu was too busy making plans with father and probably annoyed with me.

I hoped he wasn't annoyed with me.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

The day of my death match finally rolled around and it was a good day in the Mist village. The sun shone through, as if a sign of what was to come, but the moment I took in the sun, I felt very relaxed about everything. There was no way I would go up against Monoki, as we had ignored each other more often than not. The school would most likely choose the battle that would hardest for me and honestly, I had no one who was dear to me other than Monoki.

I would most likely kill my opponent with little more than a second thought .

I wasn't proud of this but it was how I was raised to be in this life, and those teachings are hard to shake off, even with my past life's morals getting in the way. My brother Mangetsu was like me. We both didn't take joy in stealing anothers life but we didn't flinch from it. Suigetsu, on the other hand, enjoyed death, he thrived off of the art of murder. However, he had never hurt any of his flesh and blood, proving that he did have a slight hint of control.

So with these thoughts of my family, I went to my brother's room and called out, "Man-nii-chan, I'm heading off to my match."

Immediately at my words, he opened the sliding door and smiled at me, "Good luck, Yuu-kun. Suigetsu's off on a mission right now but he would be wishing you the same."

I nodded, then whispered, "Same to you, Man-nii-chan." For a brief moment I hesitated on what to do but knowing this might be my last chance, I lunged at him with a hug. I was glad for my age then. If I were a child then my emotional actions would be excused. But even I couldn't stop my next words as I whispered out, "I love you, Mangetsu."

He hugged me back, grinning his shark-like grin before saying, "I love you too, Yuugetsu."

Then we both pulled away and I walked out of his sight.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

"Yuugetsu Hozuki," Karuki, the old hag, shouted throughout the sea of faces. I stood up straighter and made my way to the front. She gave me a glare before shouting out the next name. I coughed, surprising myself as I could usually keep my fits in check. But had I heard that correctly?

"I said," Karuki repeated, scowling when no one made the motions to come up front, "Monoki Hatsuyuga."

It was as if I could no longer feel the moist air around me and the air in my lungs had turned to sand. I paled and abruptly was launched into a coughing fit, and even as I attempted to calm myself down, I couldn't do it.

But it went much deeper than that. I would die today and it's because I couldn't kill Monoki.

Slowly but surely, it was like the first time we had meet eye to eye and he was being pushed and shoved to the front of the room. My old friend came to stand next to me, his face probably paler than mine.

"Sorry," I whispered, apologizing for my stupid, insensitive words from last time.

Monoki nodded, reached for my hand and squeezed it. _I'm sorry, too._

"May the best shinobi win!" Karuki groaned out, causing Monoki and I to separate. After that, we were led to the the next room over, a cleared space that instead of floors and the like, had trees and plants along with dirt. I knew without a doubt that the last room we were in would have a beautifully set up screen just like the last battles. For most of the day, and the day before, we had to witness our friends and people we'd come to know, get slaughter by other people we knew. By now, it would be no difference to them.

They would watch us fight, yes. If only to learn the winners techniques and how they work so that in the next year, if they happened to go against each other, they would have a plan. The first years were always the least skilled but they learned fast. As shinobi progressed, they would be faced with ultimately harder foes.

This battle, however, would be my first death match, as well as my last.

I stared at Monoki with tired eyes, the images of today flooding my mind. Friends had slaughtered friends, the other betrayed ones crying and screaming out while they bled to death. That is not how Monoki would win, however. I had made the promise, a half a year ago, that I would die for him.

And that I would.

Pulling out a kunai and aiming it at my throat, I smiled at Monoki, "I'm so glad you were my friend, Mizukage-sama. Please, bring peace to this land."

"NO!" He shouted and ran at me, thoroughly confusing me as he gripped my shoulders, "You can't just _die_ like that! Especially when you don't even _know_ why I want to be Mizukage!"

"Then tell me!" I yelled back, suddenly impatient to commit suicide.

For a moment, his green eyes looking to be filling with tears but he blinked them harshly away. Monoki then reached into his shirt, pulling out a beautiful ring that hung on a thin golden chain.

"This was my mother's," he began, fixing his eyes on my own, "She gave this to me the day she died. And you know what she told me before she closed her eyes for good?"

"What?" I breathed.

"'Become the best Mizukage there ever was and prove to them all that a street rat could do it.' You see, I'm not from any important clan or even a low-level one. Not that you would notice, that is," he paused, as if waiting for me to say something more. When I didn't, he continued on, eyes dark, "Before my mom got married to my dad, we lived on the streets. By some sort of luck, dad noticed her and began to help us. I need to become Mizukage not only for my mom and my dad, but for the kids I saw there every day, always so sick and getting no help," he paused again and took a deep breath, "I knew the fourth was the cause of all this but..."

"But...?" I prompted.

"It wasn't until I met you that I realized I could do it! You encouraged me! You didn't laugh at my dream! Instead, you asked to be apart of it! So when you asked for help, I should have given it, if only to show my thanks. But I shoved it back in your face and instead of making memories with each other, we were ignoring each other! So thank you, Yuu-kun!" Tears were in his eyes now, streaming down his face as he sniffed. This alarmed me. Monoki had never been one to cry easily.

"Take the necklace when I'm gone," he whispered to me and that was when I finally noticed what he was doing while he had been speaking to me.

Ever so slowly he had been inching a kunai up to his throat. Before I could do anything, I stared in horror as he slid the sharp edge across his throat. I darted forward, watching as if it were slow motion as he fell the ground.

Tears of my own threatened to spill out as I scooped his body into my arms, making noiseless sobs as I did so. "Mon...Mon...Monoki!" I screamed out, witnessing his eyes falling shut, his lips forming a peaceful smile as I continued to shake him. Blood continued to spill out and soon I was cloaked in it, the stench forever marked in my head. Still, I held on, crying as if I were a child.

"Monoki! Don't leave me!" I begged him, even as it was clear Monoki Hatsuyuga was no longer there.

I was left alone.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

You'd think that'd be the end of it, right? That I had already had enough death to deal with that day and there would be no more. I had thought so, that is, until I remembered Mangetsu.

I had never before ran that fast, in all my life as I headed home.

Mangetsu had told me the day before, at dinner, that if all went well, he would be at home waiting for me. Yet as I slid open the door, I was met with cold silence, a _mourning_ silence. With little thought left, I screamed.

"Okaa-san! Otou-san! Sui-nii-chan! Man-nii-chan!" I screamed until my voice was hoarse and I had exhausted every possible place for them to be at. I had never once, in both my life's, been this lonely or scared. I've always had others to lean on, my brothers, my parents, and Monoki. Yet here I was, none of them in sight as I feared for the worst.

Knowing there was nothing for me to do, I went to the bathroom to wash off the stale blood. I had to be presentable by the time everyone came home, right? Because they were coming home, without a doubt. So I scrubbed the blood off, getting to the point where my skin felt raw and looked red. Still, every time my eyes would shut, the blood was there again and I would scrub harder.

I took special care of the necklace, the ring, really, and kept it around my neck long after I got out of the bath and had dressed myself. Minutes later, I crashed into my bed, exhausted to the point that the moment my head hit the pillows, I was out cold.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

The next day, I woke to the loud bang of someone breaking down my door. Alarmed, I sat up in bed, prepared to use my kekkei genkai.

"Yuu-kun!" Suigetsu's voice yelled out and the next second later, I saw his panicked face peek through the broken down sliding door. In reply, I nodded toward him, noting the similar dark bags under his eyes.

"Sui-nii-chan, I believe Otou-san, Okaa-san, and Man-nii-chan are dead," I spoke precisely, "Neither of them came home last night."

"It's not just that, Yuugetsu," my brother informed me as he came to sit across from me on my bed, "The entire village is in shambles. The fourth has gone missing and no one can find his body."

"But our family?" I asked, my voice sounding hollow.

Suigetsu looked away, looking to be ten times his age and he shook his head, "Their bodies were found... at the center of the village, with their heads gone."

I nodded, having expected this.

"So who will be the next Mizukage?"

"Well, at the moment, no one knows. People are panicking. I was out there just an hour ago trying to calm some of them down. But there was this woman who looks to be taking lead, I think her name is May... Mei... Mei Terumi."

I nodded, expecting this too.

"Yuu-kun, you... are you alright? I mean, I guess you were closer to our parents then either of us were... but Mangetsu wouldn't want us to be moping around..." Suigetsu began to choke up, tears forming at the bases of his eyes, "He would want us to..." _train and become one of the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure._ It was left unsaid but it hung in the air, as potent as the mist on this day.

I shook my head, "Without Man-nii-chan... it feels wrong."

Suigetsu nodded, wiping away the tears he refused to let fall, "You know what I want to do?"

I looked at him in question, silently urging him not to say it.

"I want to collect all of the swords, ya know, and reform the Seven Swordsmen. Then I'd be the leader and you would be one of my lackeys..."

Oh dear god, he had said it. I knew without a doubt that he would be leaving.

And I'd be left all alone.

* * *

( ꒪Д꒪)ノ

* * *

E/N: Okay, so let's get one thing straight. I know very little about life in Kirigakure and found very little in my research. So basically, I just went with the flow. Also, I never knew what got Mangetsu killed, only that it occured after he became one of the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure. This means that I basically made up Mangetsu's death by the fourth but it seems probable as the Hozuki Clan, I imagine, would feel personally affected being as the second was of their clan. Also, sorry if Yuugetsu came off as Mary-Sue-ish. But the thing is, I'd imagine he's a healthy boy (or not so healthy) and one that would be powerful due to his clan raising. I tried to keep it realistic but if it helps any, Yuugetus sucks at kenjutsu.

Also, this story won't take place in Kirigakure, in the next chapter or so, he'll be going to Konoha. Updates for this should come bi-weekly with 6k each chapter. More words if I get enough reviews.

*Suika no Jutsu - Stands for Hydrification Technique and is the kekkei genkai of the Hozuki clan.

**Review** please!


End file.
